Fears
by Quazie89
Summary: Kirby helps Lampy get over his fears of plugging himself into an outlet during a thunderstorm.


Hello, everybody! The Brave Little Toaster is one of my favorite Disney movies, and I wanted to write a fan fiction for it, and I came up with this Brave Little Toaster fic, in which Kirby helps Lampy get over his fear of plugging himself into an outlet during a thunderstorm. It takes place during the move, after Elmo St. Peters rescues the appliances from the swamp and takes him to his spare parts shop. Lampy is without a doubt my favorite character from this movie. How he almost sacrificed himself in order power up Kirby made a big impression on me when I was little and it always stuck with me how noble and brave he was. I hope you enjoy the story!

It was a dark and stormy night.

Rain pelted down hard on the forest floor, lightning streaked across the night sky and could be seen flashing in between the trees, illuminating the entire forest floor.

The five appliances travelling together in a group, making their way through the forest, made an odd sight.

There was a vacuum cleaner, toaster, radio, blanket, and a lamp. The strange group was on a mission, on their way to find their master, who had mysteriously just left and abandoned them for no reason that they could fathom. What was it they had done wrong? Had it been something they had said or did? They didn't know. Whatever the reason, they were bound and determined to find him.

Besides the storm that was brewing, all was going well into the vacuum cleaner started slowing down and came to a sudden, abrupt stop in the middle of the forest. The battery the appliances had been using in order to keep them going had died. Not knowing what else to do, and perhaps thinking a little irrationally but unable to come up with a better idea at the time, the lamp stuck its cord in the battery.

The lamp didn't know what had happened next, but it could recall a blinding flash of light, and the last thing it remembered, was a bolt of electricity shooting down his body, completely paralyzing him. After the whole traumatizing, life-changing dear-death experience was over, it crumpled into a broken heap on the ground, surrounded by the screams of its friends. It was completely unaware of this and didn't know about it until the others had recounted it to him sometime later, after he had came to, but the other appliances all surrounded him, wearing worried expressions, not knowing what was to become of him and fearing the worst possible outcome.

Lampy screamed, disturbed from his fretful sleep by the raging storm that was brewing outside, waking up to the sound of roaring thunder and rain hitting against the side of the little appliance shop. To this day, all he could remember of the whole terrible ordeal was fire, smoke, and light. He would never forget the pain, fear, and helplessness that had also came with those uncomfortable sensations.

Trying to ignore the glaring stares of the rest of appliances in the room, Lampy nervously stared at the outlet in the wall, and gulped, swallowing down his fear. He hadn't told any of the other appliances, yet, but he had been afraid to hook his cord up to anything since that night. He was even scared of thunderstorms now, but he hadn't told them that, yet, either, knowing they would only make fun of him.

"What's eating you, kid?"

Startled, Lampy yelped, swerving around to face the sound of the deep, booming, gruff voice, knowing it could've only belonged to Kirby.

The tall, imposing vacuum cleaner pulled up to him, his expression stern.

Lampy chucked. "Uh, nothing," he said, and lowered his eyes, unable to meet Kirby's scolding gaze.

Kirby frowned. "I know you're not telling me the truth," he said, narrowing his eyelids at him. "I know there's something bothering you, but I just don't know what."

Lampy took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to muster up what little courage he had left. "I'm afraid to hook my cord up to anything now, all right?" he asked, letting out a mournful and perhaps a little dramatic sigh. "I have been ever since I got struck by lightning that night in the forest. I'm just afraid of it happening again, and I'm not a big fan of thunderstorms now. There, does that make you happy?"

Kirby's hardened expression softened. "I'm glad you told me the truth, yes, but no, I'm not happy," he said, actually giving Lampy a sympathetic look. "I don't like seeing you like this." He scrunched up his softened expression, looking as if it had pained him to say it.

Lampy blinked at him in bewilderment, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wow, really?" he asked, unable to believe Kirby had just said this, but it was nice to know that, despite his rough exterior and attitude, that Kirby actually cared. "You really do care about me?"

Kirby began to grumble. "As a friend," he said, muttering the words under his breath. "Nothing more."

Lampy chuckled. "I consider you my friend, too," he said, grinning at him. "I'm glad to have you as my friend."

Kirby harrumphed, beginning to sputter a little bit. "N-No p-problem k-kid, d-don't m-m-mention it," he said, stammering real bad on the words, and Lampy could tell the conversation was getting a little awkward for him. It was for him, too, if he was to be honest with himself, and decided it would be best, for the both of them, to change the subject.

Lampy peered up at all of the leering appliances littering the shelves above them, shrinking away from their accusing, unfriendly stares. "So, how do you propose we get out this mess?" he asked, and quickly turned back around to give Kirby a questioning look.

Kirby snorted. "Heck if I know, kid, you tell me," he said, looking as about as lost and helpless as Lampy knew he felt and must've looked, too.

"I would if I had a plan, but I don't," Lampy said, growing a little frustrated, and quickly beginning to lose his already thin patience with the old vacuum cleaner.

"Well, you better be thinking up of something fast, or it's going to be the end of the line for us," Kirby said, appearing small and vulnerable in his fear, a rare sight to behold, indeed, but also a pitiful one, and it made Lampy a little sad to see it.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Lampy said, closing his eyes in deep thought. "Just give me a minute. I'm thinking."

Lampy didn't have a very long time to think.

At that very moment, the door swung open, and a short, stocky, middle-aged man wearing glasses strolled into the room, slamming the door behind him.

Lampy and Kirby looked at each other, neither one of them not knowing what to say, but both fearing their end was near.

Lampy grinned. "Wait a minute," he said, hopping behind Kirby before the man could switch the light on, and put his cord into the wall. "I have an idea."

"What-" Kirby began, but before he could finish, Lampy's bulb came on, and the man screamed, dropping the tools he had been holding, and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kirby's eyes widened, and recognition dawned in his wise, ancient gaze when he realized what Lampy had done. "You got it back, kid," he said, and smiled at him, beaming down at him with pride. "I don't think you ever lost it."

Lampy lowered his eyes, unable to meet Kirby's all-knowing gaze, feeling as if the vacuum cleaner could read his mind and could see right through him. "I did, though," he said, after a few minutes, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them, and looked reluctantly looked back up at him. "You helped me get it back." He gave him a sheepish smile.

"Glad I could be of help, kid," Kirby said, and grunted, but smiled at him. "Just don't get used to it."

Lampy laughed. "Don't worry," he said, grinning, feeling relieved. "I won't." He was glad to see everything was back to normal between him and Kirby, and he wouldn't have wanted things any other way.

The End


End file.
